Compact toothbrush device



Nov. 5, 1968 F. P. HOFFMAN COMPACT TOOTHBRUSH DEVICE Filed Feb. 15, 1968 H T my T mxT United States Patent'O 3,409,381 COMPACT TOOTHBRUSH DEVICE- Frank P. Holfman, 1270 E. 1 9th St., 1 Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230 Continuation-impart of application Ser..No. 586,595, Sept. .27, 1966. This application Feb. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 705,803

3 Claims. (Cl. 401-175) ABSTRACT or "ring DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser.,No. 586,595 filed Sept. 27, 1966.

Many fountain toothbrushes have been made but none have proved to be commercial. All had disadvantages hindering their commercial success. Some of the prior art brushes were messy to loadand to clean and to use since they were spring-loaded devices. 7

It is an object of this invention to provide a compact toothbrush device that dispenses a selected amount of toothpaste with a sharp cut-off of the dispensing stream of toothpaste.

It is another object to provide a positive, fool-proof propulsion means for neatly forcing the toothpaste out of-its holding or storage chamber.

It is a furtherobject to provide a compact toothbrush having a minimum of parts, of least expense and adapted for ease of filling from conventional toothpaste tubes.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure of an illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing and in which,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device having the external appearance of a fountain pen,

FIG. 2 is a section view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing the manner of disposing the brush on the barrel within the removable cap and showing further the manner of propelling the toothpaste within said barrel,

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of the barrel showing the appearance of the slider and the manner of captively retained the slider to the barrel,

FIG. 4 is a section view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2 and showing the manner of non-rotatabl retaining a cylindrical propellable rider by means of captive engagement with an inner rail integral with the inner surface of said barrel,

FIG. 5 is a section view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4 and showing the manner of bayonet locking the base to said barrel,

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the compact toothbrush device having a foreshortened, broken-away-in-part barrel and showing the means for propelling toothpaste disposed in said barrel and the manner of disposing the slider in its co-acting groove and showing also the manner of removing the brush from the slider,

FIG. 7 is a detail section view showing the manner of dispensing toothpaste upon the toothbrush, and

FIG. 8 shows the position of the removable brush ready for brushing teeth.

Turning to the drawing, a longitudinal cylindrical plastic barrel 10 is provided with a plastic press fit cap 11, said cap having a clip 12. The barrel 10 is provided at its 3,409,381 Fatented Nov. 5,

exterior end with a lockable cylindrical apertured plastic base 13 having a knurled finger operable portion 14 of substantially the diameter of the barrel and a set-back portion 15 for entrance in said barrel, said p'ortioii' 15 having bayonet locking prongs 16 thereon.

The barrel 10 is further "provided with a preferably 1 plastic, manually rotatable dispenser 17 having a knurled knob 18 integral with a cylindrical bearing block 19 having allocking groove 20 therein, which latter is integral with'a threaded stem 21.

As shown' in FIG. 6, the cylindrical aperture not the base 13 is of a diameter sufiicient to slide upon the bearing block 19 so that the face 23 of said base is disposed beyond the groove 20. Therefore upon insertion of a clip spring 24, the base 13 is rotatably andcaptively secured upon said bearing block.

The inner surface of the barrel adjacent the bottom is provided with a plurality of conventional bayonet slots 25 molded therein to accommodate the like plurality of bayonet prongs 16, whereby said base 13 may belockingly secured to said barrel. The barrel is also provided on its inner wall with a guide rail 26 extending the length of the barrel chamber and adapted to engage the groove 27 of a rider 28. The rider 28 has a threaded aperture 29 centrally disposed therein and adapted to threadingly engage the threaded stem 21, whereby said rider 28 moves along said rail 26 upon rotation of said knob 18 and the stem integral therewith. The front end of the rider is provided with a beveled peripheral rim 30 in order to forcefully engage the inner wall of barrel 10 and to thereby propel the toothpaste 31 therein neatly toward and through the exit aperture 32 in the front wall of said barrel. The exterior surface of the barrel adjacent the bottom thereof is provided with an indicia line 33 disposed directly over the 'guide rail 26 so that the groove 27 of the rider may be easily engaged to the rail 26 therebeneath.

The barrel is also provided with specific front wall having the single aperture 32 therein. This front or top wall is provided with a large channel having opposed bevled side walls 34 adapted to slidably receive an apertured slider 35, having a pair of co-acting beveled walls 36.

The slider 35 is provided with a square aperture 37 adapted to receive the square handle 38 of the toothbrush 39. It is also provided with a slit 40 to facilitate ease of insertion and forceful seizure of handle 38. Moreover, slider 35 is provided with an integral push plate 41 to permit finger movement thereof.

The top wall of the barrel 10 is further provided with a square cavity 42 adapted to receive the handle 38 in stored position, FIG. 2, and in use position, FIG. 8. The barrel is also provided with a straight walled side channel 43 adapted to receive the handle 38 when in toothpaste receiving position, FIG. 7. A partition 46 separates cavity 42 from side channel 43. Also a guide channel 44 is provided communicating with cavity 42. Furthermore, the slider 35 on its bottom surface is provided with an integral dome shaped abutment pin 45. The pin 45 is snap forced over partition 46 so that the slider 35 is captively and slidably retained in the top of the barrel, moving forward and backward in guide channel 44 and cavity 42. The slider has a central prong 47 and smaller prongs 48 on each side. The longer prong 47 slides in a corresponding channel 47X in the top wall of the barrel, beneath which is located the aperture 32 (FIG. 2). The use of the smaller prongs 48 produces longer slider beveled walls and thus more efiicient slider operation.

To load the toothbrush 39 with toothpaste 31, the brush is removed from its stored position (FIG. 2) and the slider is moved outwardly until pin 45 engages the partition 46. The brush is then inserted in the square apertrue of the slider and into. channe1 43 (FIG. 7.) with the bristles facing the aperture 32. A turn of the knob 18 causes the rider 28 to move forward on stem 21 thereby forcing toothpaste 31 out of aperture 32 onto the brushrThe brush 39 has a few of its central tufts removed to receive toothpaste. ,Next the toothbrush. and the toothpaste thereon is removed from the slider and the slider is then ,pushed all the way in to cut off the toothpaste from aperture 32. Any excess toothpasteadjacent the top wall of the barrel is removed by the brush and the loaded brush is then inserted into the slider aperture and the barre l cavity 42 therebelow, but this time with the loaded bristles facing outwardly or in the use position ready for brushing (FIG. 8). his toothbrush device is preferably made of all plastic material. However, it may be madeof metal or of selective metal and plastic parts.

I claim:

1. In. a fountain toothbrush having a tubular barrel portion having an open bottom end for loading with toothpaste and an apertured top wall for extrusion of said toothpaste and also having a removable cap to cover the top of said barrel, the improvement comprising a cylindrical axially slotted rider engaging the inner surface of said barrel for propelling toothpaste toward said aperture, said rider having a centrally disposed threaded aperture; a rail integral with said inner surface of said barrel and disposed in said slot of said rider to prevent rotation thereof; a longitudinal threaded stem disposed in said central aperture of said rider and provided with an integral cylindrical finger operable knurled knob exterior of said barrel and with a circularl grooved bearing block of lesser diameter and integral with said knob; and a cylindrical base having a knurled finger operable surface and having bayonet prongs thereon adapted to lockingly engage bayonet slots disposed in the inner surface of said barrel adjacent said open end, whereby rotation of said base locks the base to the barrel and rotation of said knob pro- 4.; pels said rider against the toothpaste forcing it out of said top wall of said barre], said toothbrush having a top wall having a central small channel communicating with said top Wall aperture at one end and with a larger channel having opposed inwardly beveled side walls at the other end; said top wall having a square cavity communicating with said larger channel and adapted to receive a square handle of a removably disposed toothbrush; said top wall having a handle receiving channel having straight walls and communicating exterio'rly with said. beveled walled channel; said square cavity being separated from said handle receiving channel by a partition wall.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1 comprising a slider having a square aperture therein and having a prong adapted to slide in said narrow channel of said top wall to close said ap'erture, said slider having opposed beveled side walls adapted to slidingly engage said beveled side walls of said larger channel, said slider-having a pusher plate on its top wall and a locking pin on its'bottom wall, whereby snap locking said pin over said partition wall into said square cavity captively retains said slider in said top wall of said barrel.

3. The toothbrush of claim 2 comprising a brush having a short handle of square configuration adapted to pass through said square aperture of said slider and be deposited in said square cavity of said barrel top wall, said brush having a central trough adapted to receive toothpaste'dispensed from said top wall aperture of said barrel, said brush in toothpaste receiving position being disposed in an outwardly pushed slider, whereby said handle is disposed in said square aperture of said slider and in said straight walled channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,236,878 8/1917 Salvas 401-- 2,609,093 9/1952 Lynn 401-82 LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner. 

